Iona Elgin Highlands Sauvignon Blanc

PRICE PER BOX OF 6

Beautiful purity of limes and ripe gooseberry, with tropical, floral and fine herbal notes, ruby grapefruit and white pear drop on the finish. This is cool climate Sauvignon Blanc – vibrant, mineral, elegant, balanced and delicate, with a long, layered and complex finish.

WINEMAKING

We aim for elegance and balance, and to express the unique terroir of the Elgin Highlands. Grapes were hand-picked into crates early in the morning to ensure they stayed cool. Each of the 9 blocks was harvested and vinified separately. 10% skin contact for between 8-12 hours. After gentle pressing, the must was settled, maintaining a temperature of 6-8°C. Fermentation occurred at 14-16°C, using different commercial yeast strains particularly suited to Sauvignon Blanc. The wine was kept on the gross lees for 5 months and stirred regularly to enhance the richness of the mid-palate.

The 7% Sémillon component was fermented naturally in 2nd and 3rd fill 500L French oak barrels to enhance the mid-palate weight and to add complexity to the wine. A selection of different Sauvignon Blanc vineyard sites was naturally fermented in 500L French oak barrels. The barrel fermentation component made up 8% of the final blend.

VINTAGE NOTES

The 2021 vintage experienced a typical cold Elgin winter, with snow on the high mountain peaks and high winter rainfall, after 5 years of very dry and unusually warm winter conditions. This enabled good vine dormancy. Bud break took place in ideal warm and sunny conditions. The impact of below than average winter rains in the
previous years and windy conditions during October and November resulted in very uneven flowering. As a result, the berry set was uneven leading to smaller berries that have a good concentration of flavours. Cool-weather conditions during December and January slowed down ripening.

The 2021 vintage was characterised by late rainfall and an increased risk of disease. Sorting was again crucial this year and the fruit that remained shows wonderful intensity and fruit concentration. The late rain helped nourish the soils and more importantly, helped the vine focus on grape ripening rather than foliage growth, resulting in concentrated berries with low pH and lower sugar levels. The net result of the later vintage and very cool weather conditions in 2021, is that the grapes had high natural acidity, achieved steady phenolic ripeness and plenty of intense and concentrated fruit flavours.